5 New Nail Art Looks to Try
I have a dirty little secret -- one that makes my boyfriend mad, my mom cringe, and my dentist reprimand. I'm a nail bitter. Before I graduated college, only my bi-monthly manicures kept me from gnawing on my hands like a zoo animal. But as a post-grad, I quickly learned that manicures take a backseat to gas and groceries. And while there may be a quick fix for certain beauty dilemmas, (click here to check them out), this little problem doesn't seem to have one … or so I thought.
The solution? Nail art. After checking out several insanely helpful hints here, I decided to hunker down with a bunch of polish and a manicure set. Once I finished, I had my own little Picasso's on my fingers, which made it that much harder to bite. A nibble is so not worth the ruin of a masterpiece.
Even if you don't bite your nails, you have to admit that nail polish can work wonders for your current look. Why not kick it up a notch with some fun nail art? Here are my top five new looks (along with how-tos). Scroll down for a peek, or click here for all my favorite nail art designs.
Disco Ball
Light up the room with these sparkly nails. Feminine and delicate, this look is easy to copy, and will steal the spotlight from the … well, spotlight.
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Apply two coats of white nail polish.
3. When dry, apply a thin coat of silver glitter polish. The glitter pieces should be small and the coat should not fully cover the nail. (Try OPI Crown Me Already, $6.)
4. Next, apply a thin coat of silver glitter polish, but this time from a polish with chunkier glitter pieces, like Milani Specialty Nail Lacquer Jewel RX in Silver, $4.99. These pieces should also not fully cover the nail, and appear randomly placed.
5. Finish by applying a top coat.
Lovely Lace
Consider this a multi-media nail art design. You'll need a scrap piece of lace, along with your usual nail polish necessities. Here's how to get the look:
1. Before you begin, take a scrap of lace and cut out pieces that match the size and shape of each of your nails. (This is the most time-consuming part, we promise!)
2. Apply a base coat to your nails.
3. Next, paint on two coats of a pink nail polish, or whatever color matches your prom outfit.
4. Once dry, apply a clear top coat. Before the top coat has a chance to dry, place a piece of pre-cut lace on top of the nail. Trim off any extra lace that doesn't fit the nail.
5. Swipe on another layer of top coat to firmly fix the lace in place. Continue this process with the rest of your nails.
Metallic Touch
Want to try out the latest metallic trend, but aren't into having your nails rival the glare of the sun? Check out this black and gold combo:
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Apply a two coats of a matte black polish, like OPI Matte Lincoln Park After Dark, $7.
3. Once dry, press on half of a binder paper ring sticker toward the base of your nail, but not exactly at the base. (The curve of the sticker should mimic the curve of your cuticle.) When applied, there should be a tiny piece of exposed nail between the sticker and the cuticle.
4. Swipe metallic gold nail polish on the part of exposed nail, between the cuticle and the sticker.
5. Wait for the gold polish to completely dry, then remove the sticker. Since you want to maintain the matte look of black polish, do not apply a top coat.
Geometric Glitter
Glitter is fun, but if you want to give it a "serious" boost, try using the polish in an unusual pattern. For example, the geometric style of this design plays down the whimsical nature of the glitter, and gives the look a more grown-up feel.
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Apply two coats of an ivory white polish to your nails, except for your ring finger nail. On your ring finger nail, apply two or three coats of a pink glitter polish, like Butter London Rosie Lee, $14.
3. Once dry, take nail art tape (like the stickers used for French manicures), and outline a triangle shape with the tape, beginning at the base of the nail.
4. Paint the inside of the triangle with several coats of the pink glitter polish.
5. After it has dried, remove the tape and apply a top coat to the nail.
Star Power
Show off your star power with this fun nail design. (Plus, turquoise nails couldn't be hotter right now.) Here's how to steal this style:
1. Begin by cutting a half star shape out of painter's tape. The half star shape should fit on all your nails, or you can create multiple half stars in different sizes.
2. Apply a base coat to your nails.
3. Next, swipe on two coats of a turquoise nail polish to your nails, and add a top coat.
4. After the top coat is completely dry, stick on the painter's tape with the cut out of the half star. Make sure the edges of the tape are firmly attached to the nails. (For this look, the manicurist placed the star coming off the tip of the nails.)
5. Apply two coats of gold nail polish in the cut out portion of the star.
6. Once the gold polish is completely dry, carefully remove the painter's tape. Apply a top coat to the nails.
Click here for the rest of my favorite nail art ideas.
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